Ding! Current reserves: Food: 64,351 units, Wood: 89,000 units, Iron: 20,200 units, Amethyst: 5,000 pieces, Energy Powder: 8,000 units, Gold Coins: 770,000.
Ding! Hero Snow River died on a raid! Obtained one Hero's Soul!
Ding! Hero Jasmine died on a quest after stumbling upon a mysterious cave guarded by a formidable monster!
Ding...
A flood of system notifications appeared in rapid succession before Ethan, leaving him slightly overwhelmed for a moment.
However, a broad smile spread across Ethan's face as he reviewed the accumulated resources mentioned in the logs.
With such wealth at his disposal, he could significantly bolster his domain's development.
"The souls of Heroes who pledge loyalty to me can be reclaimed upon their death?" Ethan mused, taken aback.
Such an occurrence had never happened before, hinting at a possible change in the game mechanics.
Ethan didn't dwell on it much; in this world, the death of Heroes was commonplace.
During his absence, a significant number of Heroes seemed to have joined the Abandoned Temple.
The demise of a few Heroes, therefore, didn't strike Ethan as a substantial loss.
As Ethan continued to sift through the notifications, another caught his eye.
Ding! The Divine Dragon Knight, after battling in the wilderness, unexpectedly comprehended the essence of combat, leading to an increase in wisdom and strength!
This was a novel alert.
"It seems this explains the transformation of those monsters. If they continue to engage in quests or battles, they might evolve into formidable beings," Ethan muttered to himself.
The following messages were more or less routine, mostly updating Ethan about events within his domain.
No extraordinary occurrences were reported.
A few Heroes did attempt to raid the Abandoned Temple, only to be swiftly defeated by the monsters of the Temple's Legion.
But then, Ethan's eyes widened in shock. "What is this?!"
He exclaimed, staring intently at the system log, as if he had stumbled upon something astonishing.
Those were some exceptionally intriguing notifications.
Ding! Congratulations on taming the rare entity of the Shadow Fairy clan, Baal!
Ding! Obtained a rare or higher entity. Bloodline rarity unlocked. Bloodline advancement available. Obtain corresponding items and materials to initiate the Bloodline progression for the entity!
"Bloodline advancement? This is a new feature. And it seems to be triggered by Baal's appearance," Ethan mused, sensing the significance of Baal.
More crucially, he recognized the proper way to evolve his domain.
To expand one's domain, it wasn't just about summoning hordes of monsters to enhance its strength, but also about appointing overseers to manage and supervise the plethora of quests.
In other words, a domain required not just soldiers but administrators as well.
However, there was an evident issue.
Summoned creatures often possessed limited intellect.
They could handle basic quests and tasks without any hitch, but when it came to more complex tasks like strategizing in wars or constructing intricate defense structures, they fell short.
"Perhaps conscripting Heroes might be a solution," Ethan whispered to himself, only to shake his head a moment later, dismissing the idea.
"But Heroes and Dark Lords are natural adversaries. Even if a Hero submits temporarily, betrayal is always on the cards. Thus, entrusting them with domain management is a risky gamble."
However, a thought struck him.
Looking over at Victor standing beside him, a grin formed on Ethan's face.
"But using natives is a different ballgame! They're not only more familiar with this world but also possess intelligence comparable to Heroes. Moreover, their loyalty can be vouched for. They can perfectly assume the role of domain administrators."
"That," he proclaimed, "is the true path of domain development. It isn't merely about seizing resources, but also about acquiring talents from the world!"
Realizing this principle, Ethan's gaze on Victor grew more intense.
He was curious if the powerful Victor could trigger any system notifications.
Continuing through the system log, Ethan soon stumbled upon information regarding Victor.
Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the legendary human, Victor!
Ding! Detected Victor possesses the title 'Scholar'. Title System now activated. Engage in significant world events, obtain unique treasures, or reach certain power thresholds to earn respective titles. Titles can enhance your domain's resource acquisition rate!
"The list of novelties keeps growing," Ethan murmured.
"This means there's even more to upgrade, more ways to outpace others, and the competition is only going to intensify," his face grew stern, letting out a contemplative sigh.
He couldn't guarantee that he was the only fortunate one. Among the other Heroes or Dark Lords, there might be some who've acquired titles or other systems yet to be unveiled.
"I must accelerate my progress!" A sense of urgency began to form within Ethan.
His perusal of the system log was almost at its end, save for two notifications about special items.
Ding! Acquired special skill 'Enslavement Contract'. More details available. Ding! Acquired special skill 'Language of Nature'. More details available.
"'Enslavement Contract', 'Language of Nature'. Do these hold some special significance?" Curiosity piqued, Ethan dove deeper into the skills' descriptions prompted by the notifications.
[Enslavement Contract]
[An ancient pact mastered by the Shadow Fairy clan. Crafted using the Language of Nature, this contract holds immense binding power. Once the Enslavement Contract is invoked, the loyalty of domain creatures can be enhanced to 100%. This contract can replace ordinary ones.]
"Loyalty at 100%!" Ethan exclaimed, "The effects of the Enslavement Contract are truly staggering. Baal once mentioned that upon its use, the contracted will remain forever loyal, making betrayal nearly impossible."
"If that's the case, I could potentially amass an army of Dark Lords!" Lost in this enticing vision, Ethan allowed himself a moment of daydream.
Snapping back to reality moments later, he proceeded to explore the 'Language of Nature' description.
[Language of Nature·Thunder]
[The Language of Nature symbolizes the primal forces of the world, possessing myriad miraculous abilities. Mastering it bestows various blessings upon domain creatures.]
[Thunder: One of the aspects of the Language of Nature. Thunder wields tremendous might, capable of obliterating all in its path. Lords can utilize the Language of Nature·Thunder to bestow Thunder's blessings upon their domain's creatures.]
[Thunder's Blessing: Grants domain creatures the power of Thunder. During an attack, there's a chance to trigger Thunder, paralyzing the enemy and amplifying the damage they receive.]
After reading about the Language of Nature, Ethan was left dumbstruck.
He hadn't expected the Language of Nature to possess such immense power, bestowing upon domain creatures such potent blessings.
Especially when considering it was the Language of Nature·Thunder - the might of which Ethan had personally experienced.
However, just how potent it was needed to be tested.
Returning to the ground, Ethan summoned a basic goblin.
After bestowing upon it the Thunder's Blessing, he instructed it to strike a rock.
The goblin swung its club, which emitted a faint shimmer of electric light.
Crack!
As the club met the rock, the luminance of the thunder seemed to surge like an agitated cat, flooding towards the stone.
In a mere instant, the rock shattered into a dozen pieces, scattering across the ground.
The goblin, with its limited intellect, stood frozen, unable to fathom what had just occurred.
"Marvelous! The Language of Nature·Thunder truly is formidable!" Ethan exclaimed.
"That was just a basic attack from the goblin. If a formidable summoned monster were to receive this blessing... the resulting spectacle would be unimaginable!"
Ethan was elated, almost hoping for a formidable Hero to come knocking.
However, that hope seemed destined to remain unfulfilled.
While perusing the messages earlier, he'd spotted a notification accessible to all, stating that some unique resource had emerged in a valley some miles from Riverside.
Most Heroes had flocked to the location, and many Dark Lords had discreetly dispatched their monsters to investigate.
Ethan's temple dungeon, due to his absence, had been unusually quiet.
Regardless, Ethan wasn't in a hurry.
His bountiful gains from Stone Rock Harbor would suffice for quite some time.
Consuming too much too quickly could be harmful, a concept Ethan well understood.
Thus, he decided to observe and discern what this special resource in the valley truly was before taking action.
Additionally, matters concerning the Blackstone Hero Kingdom awaited his attention.
Considering all these tasks, a hint of dejection crossed Ethan's face.
He sighed, "It seems having vast territories isn't always beneficial. There are too many matters demanding my attention. I need more helping hands."
His gaze landed on Victor.
"Being worthy of the title 'Scholar', Victor's wisdom seems sufficient to manage a domain," he pondered.
With a plan forming in his mind, Ethan subconsciously glanced at Victor's details and was, yet again, left astounded.
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